2011 Quadrantid meteor shower peaks tonight: Where to watch

Get excited, Seattle. For once, the cloudy weather might not keep you from seeing a wintertime meteor shower.

The Quadrantid meteor shower will peak early Tuesday morning, and viewers are urged to look for meteors throughout the night. Typically, viewing improves just before dawn, but those in higher latitudes could catch a glimpse of the show long before the wee hours of morning.

Usually, Seattle sky watchers don’t get much besides an eye full of clouds when they try to watch celestial events. But a rare break in our rainy weather, coupled with the absence of the moon’s glow, makes our chances of seeing the shower better than usual.

What do you need to know if you’re planning on scouting for meteors? National Geographic has some ideas:

The best way to view the show is to dress warmly, lie back in a reclining chair, and find a dark spot with a good northeastern horizon, said Jim Todd, planetarium manager at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.

The shooting stars will appear to come from a region high in the late-night northeastern sky just off the Big Dipper’s handle.

Of course, it also helps to get away from the glow of the city. The American Meteor Society has more detailed viewing tips here, along with this description of the Quadrantids:

The Quadrantids are known to produce fireballs, meteors that are of magnitude -5 or brighter. Of the approximate 500 Quadrantids I have seen, the brightest was a magnitude -10, which left a persistent train for several minutes. While not known for producing a high percentage of trains, the brightest Quadrantids usually leave a remnant train lasting one-half to one second after the meteor itself has disappeared.

Still, it seems there’s always something we’re missing. Europe, the Middle East and parts of Africa and Asia will all catch a partial solar eclipse early Tuesday morning.